Writing in a letter to The Times, Chief Executive and Chairman of BA Alex Cruz said queues at Heathrow are “significantly worse” than at other airport hubs worldwide.
His letter was written after proposals were put forward by the Government for ‘UK-only’ lines after Brexit.
The Home Office said in the first six months of this year more than 95 per cent of people arriving at Heathrow passed Border Control within the agreed time limits, which are 25 minutes for EEA (European Economic Area) nationals and 45 minutes for those coming in from elsewhere.
However British Airways CEO Cruz said the target was missed 8,298 times last year and the number had already reached more than 6,000 for 2018.
“This is unacceptable,” he said. “What kind of message does this send as we try to build links outside the EU? We need more than UK-only lanes to show Britain is open for business, and that includes Sajid Javid taking immediate action to address this Border farce once and for all.”
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “We understand the frustration for those who have experienced longer waits and remain fully committed to working with our partners to reduce waiting times as far as is possible.
“At the same time, we will not compromise the essential checks we carry out at the border which keep our country safe. We are making sure Border Force has the resources it needs and are deploying 200 additional staff at Heathrow over the summer.”
